For Immediate Release
March 15, 2005
Please Contact: Colin Durrant (617)722-1650 or
Dalié Jiménez, 617-722-1650

Bill Will Ban "Cop-Killer" Hand Gun
and .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle
These guns pose serious threat to safety of police officers

(Boston, MA) A year after Massachusetts extended its assault weapons ban, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety, Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, announced today he will file a bill to ban two more weapons that are not included in the state’s ban but pose a serious threat to police officers. The bill targets the Five-seveN handgun which can pierce police body armor and the .50 caliber sniper rifle that allows a person to shoot a target thousands of yards away.

“Police put their lives on the line every day to keep our streets safe and they deserve the best protection we can give them,” said Senator Barrios. “Guns that can pierce police body armor or can be used to shoot terrorist targets from thousands of yards away don’t belong on our streets and in the hands of criminals. It’s a common sense gun safety measure.”

Joining Barrios at the press conference to announce their support for the measure were Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Senator Kennedy’s office, Stop Handgun Violence, and the Million Mom March. Among the legislators adding their support for the bill was House Public Safety Chair Representative Cheryl Rivers (D-Springfield).

The Five-seveN handgun is imported from Belgium and is particularly dangerous because it is easily concealed and is made specifically to shoot armor piercing bullets. The Brady Center in Washington D.C. recently purchased the Five-seveN from a Virginia retail gun dealer, along with 5.7 x 28 mm SS192 rounds of ammunition. The Center test fired the weapon and found it easily penetrated typical threat level IIA, Kevlar police body armor.

The .50 caliber sniper rifle is made specifically for military snipers and allows a person to shoot a target of a distance of up to 2,000 yards away. Both guns are easily bought over the internet and are banned in California.

“We need to respect the rights of law abiding gun owners and balance that with our responsibility as lawmakers to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe,” said Senator Barrios.

For information about the Five-seveN hand gun: http://www.bradycampaign.org/ler/fnh/

For more information on the .50 caliber sniper rifle visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/06/60minutes/main665257.shtml
 

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